The Last of Us art director joins Unfinished Swan maker Giant Sparrow

The high-profile employee churn at Naughty Dog continued over the weekend, as The Last of Us art director Nate Wells confirmed through Twitter that he has taken a new job with Giant Sparrow.

"Hmmm....seem to be some threads here. Yes, I joined the wild, wacky, and ultimately brilliant folks at #GiantSparrow on April 3rd," Wells wrote.

Wells' profile lists him as the new art director for the studio behind the 2012 exclusive PlayStation 3 game The Unfinished Swan. Giant Sparrow is working on an unannounced game it describes as "not a sequel to The Unfinished Swan but... not a million miles away either."

Not enitrely sure what's going on over at ND, but these recent departures seem to be adding up to more than just a coinsidence. Perhaps there is a shake-up happening? Either way, ND can and will continue to attract top talent.

Its funny how so many people are losing their jobs and other that have good positions are leaving them. I know people are eeger to do their own thing, but breaking companies up and forming new ones doesnt always result in that happening. And a few people have left Naughty Dog in a rather short time. All had very solid positions their, It cant be coincedince.

If you want to progress in your career on a personal level and feel challenged and satisfied on a daily basis, you've got to take a jump into something new. Simple as that I'd say. Career progress from their position in the company was probably unlikely due to the corporate world of Sony and its shareholders hovering just above their heads.

I don't know how many people are leaving Naughty Dog or why, but what it really demonstrates in my opinion is just how mobile people and their skills are in the industry. Definitely great challenges and rewards ahead.